It nods and curtseys and recovers When the wind blows above, The nettle on the graves of lovers That hanged themselves for love. The nettle nods, the wind blows over, The man, he does not move, The lover of the grave, the lover That hanged himself for love.

A.E. Housman
About This Quote

This poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning was inspired by the ballad The Lady of Shalott, in which the heroine (Shalott) is swept away while walking in her garden. Her husband (Laerte) searches for her, then follows her into the water to attempt to rescue her. However, because she has given him no specific direction to follow, he loses sight of her and drowns. When Laerte returns to shore, he discovers that his wife has hanged herself.

Source: A Shropshire Lad

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